Yarn Trunk: Down 1 Cone – Towel Drawer: Up 5 Towels
I mistakenly thought that this batch of towels would quickly clean up my yarn stash. It’s a two-shuttle weave, and the pattern thread has some long floats, so I thought that would require pounds and pounds of yarn. In the interest of finishing off a few cones, I stuck with only five choices of weft thread (instead of using little bits off lots of different cones). But I only managed to use up one tiny cone of navy blue cotton.
And even with that, I totally underestimated how much was on the cone. I thought it didn’t have enough to weave a one-inch stripe – it had enough to weave a 25-inch towel, and then some!
I know I could weigh the yarn, multiply by the number of yards per pound, etc., and figure out exactly what I could make with that amount – but for what I’m doing, it really doesn’t matter that much. I like to start with a pretty plain warp, and just see what weaving variations pop up as I’m going along.
Off the loom, before being cut apart and washed.
One warp, five weaving variations.
I always loved those swatch collections in Handwoven magazine.
Close-up of the texture.
My daughter drew this of me, when she was five. She showed the warp at the back of the loom, and the woven cloth close to me!
Your towels are lovely even if they didn’t use up much of your thread stash. I like all the pattern variations you used. Makes me almost wish I hadn’t sold my loom.
I have thought of selling mine at times, but there’s really no market around here. So I just keep them and keep trying to use up old yarn. 🙂
What a great keepsake and so is your project. Blessings Always, Mtetar
I love dish towels–the perfect mix of a great way to try new things and be practical! That drawing your daughter did is FAB–I can’t believe the depiction of warp and weft!
Yes, and she did that at school, so I was not standing over her coaching! 🙂 She’s a financial adviser now – still paying attention to detail.
Just ‘found’ you thru Barbro’s Threads! Lucky me 🙂 Ah yes, CONES and CONES…woof!
I just wish I had more that were the same fiber and size! I used to buy a lot of mill ends so my collection is too varied to use easily. But I am making myself use them up before I get nice fresh yarn!
Lovely towels. Estimation of yarn consumption is something I haven’t got my head around yet. It seems difficult, even though the calculations aren’t that complicated, really. I warp and hope for a good learning outcome. That’ll do for me, for now.
I can do the math, but I can’t look at a cone and realize how many yards are actually on it. But, I guess, better to find out I have more yarn than I thought, than to run short. 🙂
The towels look great but your daughter’s drawing is the best!
Your towels are very pretty. Does the cut fringe hold up when you use them. It’s getting harder and harder to find millends. Good to have a stash
It holds up pretty well. I find it is better for me to go ahead and hemstitch them while they’re on the loom – sometimes I weave about an inch with sewing thread, and then turn it under and hem it later, but for some reason that is a job I can put off for years. If I hemstitch them first, then I can just cut them off the loom and have them ready to use. I throw them in the washer and dryer and use them for everything, and they hold up well – I have some that are 20 and 30 years old!
The towels are wonderful. I love blue and white in a kitchen. It’s soothing. Not surprised at your daughter’s marvelous picture. I think she had that precision mind from the day she was born.
Your towels are beautiful and love the different weaves. Now see you could start making more with your unused thread and use for Christmas presents! LOL Yes, this seems to be the same bug that bites us quilters – we have fabric and more fabric. Years ago I used to only buy fat quarters – you guessed it, I know I have over 100 + FQ’s to use on something!!
I did plan to make a batch as presents, but it has already been a year since I did the last batch! The time flies too fast.
I buy fabric too but I am not as bad as some people – mine fits in a small closet – one of my friends has a 10 x 10 room just for her fabric stash! I think it is so much easier to buy supplies than to sit down and actually use them! 🙂
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